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How the 49ers beat the Falcons, 17-16

A quarter-by-quarter look at the Falcons’ xx—xx win over the San Francisco 49ers before 70,524 fans on Sunday at Levi Stadium.

FIRST QUARTER

Big play: San Francisco wide receiver Quinton Patton got behind nickel back Phillip Adams for 41-yard game late in the second quarterback. Free safety Ricardo Allen did a good job of chasing him down and forcing him out of bounds.

Turning point: Falcons punt returner Eric Weems broke loose for a 41-yard punt return. He had plenty of room out to his right, but inexplicably ran into the punter and was tackled. The offense wasted the return and was forced to punt.

Takeaway: The Falcons opened the game with a nine-play, 46-yard drive that took 3:38 off the clock. Matt Bryant made a 44-yard. Injuries continued to mount in the secondary. Robenson Therezie left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return.

Score: Falcons 3, 49ers 0.

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Big play: On third-and-1 from the Falcons’ 1, quarterback Blaine Gabbert tossed a touchdown pass to a wide open Garrett Celek. Linebacker Nate Stupar didn’t honor the tight end and was two steps into the back field before realizing that it was a pass play. The 49ers hadn’t score a touchdown over the past eight quarters. Their last touchdown was a 21-yard Colin Kaepernick pass to Patton to put them up 25-13 against Baltimore in Week 7.

Turning point: After cutting the lead to one-point, the Falcons defenseallowed a nine-play, 41-yard drive that took 2:45 off the clock. Phil Dawson added a 44-yard field goal to put 49ers up 10-6. The 49ers added an 11-yard touchdown pass to Celek to take a 17-6. The Falcons answered with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Devonta Freeman for the halftime margin.

Takeaway: The 49ers scored more points in the first half than they did over the past two games, a 27-6 loss at St. Louis and a 20-3 loss to Seattle. Defensive tackle Tyson Jackson left the game with a rib injury. He returned to the action.

Score: 49ers 17, Falcons 13

THIRD QUARTER

Big play: Falcons nickel back Phillips Adams intercepted a pass intended for a wide open Jerome Simpson to stop a promising 49ers drive. Paul Worrilow was called for personal foul on a block of Simpson. Inside of starting at the 26, the Falcons started at the 13 yard line.

Turning point: Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark with an 18-yard catch midway through the quarter.

Takeaway: Ryan continued to struggle.

Score: 49ers 17, Falcons 13

FOURTH QUARTER

Big play: Falcons linebacker Phillip Wheeler apparent clean hit of Gabbert gave the 49ers a first down early in the fourth quarter. He had to leave the game because of the injury and Kaepernick took over for two plays.

Turning point: Falcons coach Dan Quinn elected not to go for a touchdown with just under three minutes to play.

Takeaway: The Falcons offensive line may not be as good as they showed earlier in the season.

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